A World About To Dawn
by SuperWhoLockStuck64
Summary: a fic for a friend(: Hope you enjoy Jake!
1. Chapter 1

"Egad Strider! What the ruddy hell have you been up to, holed up in this room so long?"

He pops his head in the room; hope powers really were a magical thing, especially when your best mate has locked himself in a room for over twenty-four hours not making a sound. Though he got no reply he stood his ground, stubborn as usual determined to get his friend out of whatever funk that may have him amidst its grip. The room was dark; a deep eerie feeling hung in the air, the kind that makes your chest tighten and your stomach flop and though Jake hated the dark, loathed its ability to make him feel under attack, he walked in. At the soft click of the door latching closed Jake swallowed thickly; pitch black greeted him, so dark his eyes compensated by flashing blue dots tricking him into thinking things were moving when in reality everything was still. Dead still.

It wasn't like his mate to be so still, normally the little bugger was bouncing around causing all sorts of cahoots and guffaws aplenty; this odd staleness in the room gave Jake the hibbiejibbies quickening his haste to check on the other.

"Great caesars ghost, Strider! Might we go about turning on one of the lights? It's as black as coal in here!"

"No."

He blinked in surprise at the croaking, raspy voice coming from the corner, or was it the corner? Hell if he knew, as previously stated it was friggen dark and by golly, he'd be lucky to even make it two steps without falling on his noggin. Cautiously Jake felt his way around, sliding his feet in dramatic sweeps, holding back a soft chuckle at the resemblance to Terezi and her cane.

"Strider? Dave?"

He has to admit, he's more than a bit concerned, fear beginning to grip him as possibilities as to what could be causing his friend to be so somber run through his mind; each thought becoming darker, more alarming than the last.

"Hardy-har-har Strider, your irony has been duly noted, now why blazes can we not lighten this dreary scenario up a notch, eh?"

He goes for the light, pulling the chain down with an overly eager flick of the wrist, the only response he gets is a very displeased click and silence yet again. He tries the chain a few more times, tugging it down frantically to turn the lights on, each time getting a bit rougher.

"Jake. I unplugged it."

Damn him, always two steps ahead thinking of what to do before Jake even had time to do it. He made a huff, arms shaking, reaching out, but relieved to hear the familiar voice; even if it did come out strained. After a bit of bumbling and puffing he managed to get past the beds and over to the wall. Hesitantly, unsure of what he was prodding at, he stuck his foot out until he reached a warm body. Although he knew he wouldn't be bumping toes with some horrific beast hell bent on chomping off his toes, old habits die hard and he was perfectly fine with being safe than sorry.

Dave makes a soft grunt, shifting away from the foot to which Jake responds by prodding him harder, holding back a chuckle as he persists. He arches an eyebrow when Dave stays silent, brow then furrowing as he slides down, slowly, carefully as to not startle the other.

"Mind telling me what's got you in such a rut mate?"

His head tilts to the side, hand slipping out in the darkness until it finds something to rest on. After a second of light rubbing he finds, triumphantly, that he had landed on Dave's shoulder this small victory brings forth a grin apparent in his tone.

"Come now ole'chap let's hear what's got you so down?"

The hand slides from Dave's shoulder, trailing over the ripples of his shirt until it circles the blonds back, comfortingly sliding around as Jake tries to coax out an answer. Despite his usually impatient attitude he remains quiet letting Dave take his time in replying.

The blond coughed a few times, clearing his throat and, not to Jake's surprise as Dave did happen to be quite the cuddler, leaned into him with a small sigh. The only reply Jake gave was wrapping an arm around him, now rubbing the arm furthest away in little smooth movements.

"It's him."

The tone was blank, almost monotone in how simply it was stated, and this only further confused Jake. He let out a groan at such an unfavorable answer, hoping that maybe it would bring a more positive air to the other. He feels Dave shift, holding him tightly; very tightly and this only worries him further, albeit he stays quiet.

"Jake, it's _him_. He's back"

The realization of just who Dave was insinuating hit him like a ton of bricks, knocking the air out of his chest, making his throat tighten up and his lungs burn from lack of air. He wasn't sure how long he sat there, clinging to Dave tighter with each passing second staring wide eyed and open mouthed, only roused out of his daze by the boys shifting; most likely because of previously stated tightness of hold.

"Gadzooks Strider how long has this been going on? And why the bloody _hell_ have you not informed me of this sooner?!"

It was obvious he was upset; who wouldn't be when you find out the equivalent to troll Satan is yet again trying to take hold of your best mate's sanity? Jake's face contorted to a look of shock and worry, desperation to cling to the other boy filling him, making his arms feel stronger yet even weaker than before he'd heard this news. He couldn't help the twinge of anger that lurked in his voice; how long had Dave been hiding this? It obviously had to have been awhile for him to finally break and get so worked up.

"A week. It's been going on for a week but… I wasn't sure, I-I couldn't tell if that's what it was, if it was something to cause trouble over."

"DAVE WHAT IS THE ROOTIN TOOTIN _POINT_ OF BEING MATES IF YOU DON'T TELL ME WHEN THESE THINGS HAPPEN?! "

He almost felt bad when he felt Dave jump, but by god when he was mad, he was _mad_. Why had he not been informed? This was class A mind fuckery going on and Dave had kept it from him, hiding in his own thoughts for a whole week just festering alone when Jake could have been helping; in retrospect he believes this is what irked him the most. Dave had turned away from him, looking downtrodden, and dadblast it Jake couldn't help but feel bad. Thinking about the situation, he concludes that if he were in the same position, he would be a bit hesitant to involve anyone he loved as well. He sighs heavily, resuming his soft rubbing and tight hold, as if the more he held Dave the safer he would be.


	2. Chapter 2

The blonde squirmed slightly, getting comfortable Jake presumed, before relaxing again. While Dave still seemed troubled, it was a relief to at least see some sort of tension release from the boy. To further provoke him into a better mood, Jake slipped the hand that had been busy rubbing Dave's back, down to his side. Without much hesitation he wiggled his fingers, pressing into the others ribs, grinning as he heard the onslaught of laughter.

"J-Jake, oh my f-fucking god dude!"

Each word was stuttered and interrupted by laughter as Dave thrashed around, unable to stop the snickers and giggle fits the waggling fingers formulated. Jake too joined in the laughter, cheeks turning just as red as Dave's as the boys rolled around each trying to reach the others' ticklish spots. After minutes of struggling becoming red faced and sides getting sore, they lay breathless and damp, each still chuckling in the aftermath.

Jake sighed, although a good tickle fight with the mate was always fun it was time to get down to business, turning to look at Dave his voice took a slightly serious tone.

"How much time?"

Dave froze a moment and he almost regretted speaking, the smile faded from the others face and Jake could hear the audible gulp before he spoke.

"Not sure, any time really. The timeline is starting to get wobbly, weak if you want to get technical. "

Jake arched a brow, nudging Dave to continue and saving his comments for when he had all the information he could milk. The blond looked hesitant to go one, as though he had something to say but was determining on whether or not to vocalize it.

"Well… I have an idea of what is about to happen, and I have an idea to stop it."

Jake shuddered, remembering the previous encounter with Calliborn they shared. This was no time for painful memories, shaking his head like a dog removing water, he willed the thoughts away to be dealt with at a later time. He was more focused on finding out what was going to happen…and how Dave planned to stop it.

"Care to elaborate, or are you going to leave me in the grips of curiosity?"

Jake watched somewhat amused by how hesitant Dave seemed to answer him, but worked hard to still his tongue, rather waiting for the boy to find his own way of answering. Finally, after what seemed like hours of silence, waiting, and anxious fiddling on Dave's part he spoke up.

"Now...Don't make fun of me for this…"

Jake held up his hands in mock surprise.

"Strider, how uptight do you think I am, thinking I'd go and do such a deed."

Dave nodded, taking a deep breath, speaking quickly seeming to be in a rush to get it all out as if something were to happen that very moment.

"I think he's going to attack us. Sort of a revenge plot if you know what I mean. Remember one of the last things he said before…You know…"

Oh yes Jake remembered, something along the lines of "I'LL KILL YOu FuCKERS FOR RuINING MY FuN" rang a bell. He could tell Dave too remembered, the goosebumps and not so subtle rubbing of his temple were bright indicators of this. This new information scared Jake, as rugged of an explorer and up for any sort of tussle as he was, he had to admit this was frightening. His namesake was not one to be trifled with and the thought that he could possibly be on his way to wreak havoc was a though he'd like not entertain.

With an audible gulp he pressed further, not exactly wanting to hear more, but knowing it was necessary.

"How long do we have exactly?"

It was a simple enough question, he didn't expect any radical answer, at the least a month was his presumption. The date couldn't be anywhere nearby, that'd just be wreckless to leave the whole lot of them clueless till the last second, right?

"I'm assuming anywhere between today or tomorrow in all honesty."

There was a long, cold silence. Jake could feel his trigger fingers twitching as he worked to control himself, anger flaring in his chest. Quite noticeably, his cheeks burned and heart thudded in anxiety and fury; when he spoke it was strained and choked by the effort to not shout.

"…and why, David," this elicited a flinch in the other, which Jake was somewhat pleased to see, "are we _just_ finding out about this now?"

Dave swiveled around in a hectic blur, frantically patting and "Shh-ing" Jake, which only irked him further he will be damned if he wasn't upset by this news and now amount of patting or hushing would soothe the blaze. Emerald eyes, with no hint of jovial sparkle or breezy aloofness, stared down at Dave and the boy quickly, almost too quickly to understand, explained himself.

"Shit man no, it's not like I've just been keeping this to myself! I just got the feeling yesterday and damned if I've known what to do with it!"

There was obvious frustration in his voice, this leaving Jake to soften a bit seeing as it was a sign the truth was being told.


	3. Chapter 3

"Rest assured it feels like a brood of anxious vermin is making its most valiant effort to escape from my skull too, and I firmly apologize for taking such a stern tone with you, Strider…" He paused a moment, sighing, "…how will we know when this presumably imminent attack will take place?"

Dave gnawed at his lip, apprehensive about how he would word this, trying to make it seem less catastrophic than it was.

"Well…first there would be a rip, the timeline would open up to the outside anomalies that caused its tear, and things would basically stop."

Now this was confusing to Jake, whereas Dave seemed to believe it was totally understandable, the adventurist sought explanation. What did he mean things would "stop" would the world just cease its turning within this frame of time? Would they, as an existence, stop? He huffed a bit persistently, planning to dog Dave for answers till the stream of information was nothing, dry, void of anything left to tell.

"Oh for frigs flippen sake, Dave! Would you _please _be more detailed in your description of what could possibly be largest most incongruous fight we've had yet?!"

He grumbled, anxiety and excitement wearing his patience thin, nudging Dave's shoulder a tad forcibly to get him to just speak up. The blond held his hands up in mock surrender, continuing on begrudgingly

"Okay, basically what will happen is he'll, Caliborn-"

"Strider, I'm not such a cockeyed blunderbuff that I don't know who you're referring to."

"Right, right, sorry. Anyways, he'll arrive here. The trauma to the timeline from such a major fucking entrance will cause it to temporarily pause. Pretty much meaning that inconspicuous things like birds, water, wind, will all stop moving in that period of time."

Jake's brow furrowed slightly, taking this in.

"So that would leave our pal John rendered useless with no wind…?"

"Yeah pretty much, but to be frank we probably won't even have to worry about that, the timeframe for this is pretty damn short. After the initial arriving, everything else is how he chooses to act on it. If he wants to make his call of the wild, letting out a guttural animalistic cry then hell we'll know he's coming."

Dave shrugged, trying to mask the hope that Calliborn would in fact do this, at least giving them some warning. Which naturally led Jake to ask about the seemingly less favorable option.

"And if he chooses to act about his treacheries in a less brash manner?"

The other paused, considering this despite not wanting to think about it, he lowered his head taking a deep breath. They stayed like that for a moment ,Jake let the silence fill the room, only the sound of soft breathing and the hum of imagination gone wrong penetrating the void of noise. The young Strider finally spoke up after what felt like hours of quiet consideration.

"Well…then we should be on our toes man, because it'll be one hell of a surprise fight."

Jake grappled with idea that this could possibly be an option, and thinking it over it seemed less likely to him. His namesake was a being of passion and gaudy display. The idea of him sneaking in, quiet, undetected was just…not something Jake could fathom. Either way, it was an option and he'd rather not vaunt on supreme knowledge of the unknown when he was just as clueless as any other poor bloke.

Dave had gone silent yet again, which bothered Jake to no end, turning to squint at him because there was still scarcely any light to see with he couldn't help but notice the blond was more pale than usual. Jake assumed this was out of fear, and he would be right in that assumption, just not exactly for the reasons that he first thought.

"Be calm mate, sure my namesake is a curmudgeonly fellow, but this won't be the first time we've dealt with the likes of him! No need to let yourself down in the theoretical dumps!"

He clapped a comforting hand on dave's shoulder, hoping to soothe the look of worry that had carved itself in the boy's features.

"Jake…what time was it when you came in here?"

Dave's voice was depleted of any variance, simply a cold fear-stricken monotone that Jake did not approve of in the slightest. Swallowing, unsure of what this could mean he thought about his time of arrival.

"Well, I'd have to say about…Oh 11:30am? Why, what has that to do with anything?"

Dave gulped quite audibly, even in the dark Jake could see the way his brow knit in worry. Strider grabbed his face, turning the black haired boy's face to the alarm clock by the bed. There was a tremble in those hands, a slight but noticeable tremble and it simply did not help the anxiety the dark and the whole basis of their conversation had brought him. Jake's eyes flicked up to look in the direction he was pointed, surely this was just some sort of prank, Dave was just trying to lighten the mood right? Wrong. The clock read 11:31am. Now Jake knew he was no rocket scientist but he was damn well sure they had been in here longer than a minute.

"Strider…"

Before he could continue, a hand was wrapped around his own, faster than his brain could process the world blurred around him; suddenly bright a door had been shut sometime and…and now he was on Dave's back? Since when did he even jump for this piggyback ride? Damn that Strider speed, damn it for being so confusing and enthralling. Yes the world was slowing down now, he was beginning to pick out various objects and suddenly they were still, leaving Jake's head spinning.

Gathering his bearings he realized they were in the living room of John's house, the boy had gone off with him on some romantic getaway leaving the rest of them to do about as they pleased. Sollux piddled on his husktop (never understood why they don't just refer to it as a laptop like the rest of us, but as an adventurer he was willing to explore the new term and how it sounded in his vocabulary), Karkat glued to the TV watching some over glorified romantic comed-_romcom_(Yet another strange trollian word), Eridan and Sollexa just doing the usual cuddling on the couch.

"Everyone leave."

Everyone turned to look at him, confusion clear on their faces even Jake a little shocked at how plainly he put it, Eridan looked defiant.

"Now why would we go about doing that, I'd say we were damn near perfect all minding our own business until you decided to show up and start throwing demands all about the place."

He stuck up his nose, going to turn back to his lover before twitching. The cause of previously mentioned twitch would have to be a deep growl, almost animalistic if you asked him, rumbling through Dave's chest.

"Damn it Eridan, I'm in no mood for you're stuck up hipster attitude, just leave. Take everyone and go do something, fuck I don't even care what so long as you're far from the house!"

He looks just as shocked as Jake; Dave's tone was edgy, scared, but demanding. So much so, that the other complied with his wishes, slowly at first grabbing things they wanted, shuffling around and grumbling about what to do. Each more confused as time went off and they were given a chance to think about just how strange this was. Honestly Dave didn't care, he was more concerned with getting them as far away from the fight as humanly possible, ushering them to go faster through all the protests.

"Jake…maybe you should go with them, i…I just really don't want anything to happen to you either…"

Dave knew…he knew this was a feeble attempt and in all cases would not work, Jake was too stubborn on the fact that they stick together through thick and thin; while that was comforting it was also worrisome, not wanting his best friend to get hurt or worse killed.

"Dagnabbit Strider you know darn well that I would rather a pack of rabid canines come in the dark of night to chew my leg than leave you here to fight this battle alone!"

Jake huffed, he knew it was only a last ditch attempt to protect him, but it was still a frustrating event when Dave would try to get him to safety rather than combat alongside him. The blond shook his head, already knowing that once the other boy had made up his mind there would be absolutely no convincing him otherwise. His mind flooded with different styles of attack, muscles already twitching in anticipation of battle, hands stretching to hold the handle of a blade.

Jake on the other hand, had to soothe the ache to pull a trigger, fingers already searching for the lever to set off the deadly blast that filled his body excitement every time. As minutes pass, the others getting thankfully far away, Dave can't help but feel how the mood is tense, the ambiance of the room is so prominent he found his whole body tightening up without his even realizing it, only becoming aware when the dull ache of muscles contracted too long starts to set it.

The black haired boy tried to relax, shaking out his tender limbs and cracking his caramel skinned neck, the sound loud in the silence of the room despite the muffling qualities of his flesh, he glance over. Dave looked paler than normal, knuckles and joints gathering a purple hue, which Jake could only imagine meant the other was getting that clammy cold feeling as the nerves of pre-battle sunk in

Dave took a deep breath, so large in fact he felt his ribs expand and press against the fabric of his shirt. Anxious crimson eyes met excited emerald as they glanced at one another. A flash of something, maybe determination, or possibly even fear, swept across those red eyes hidden thankfully by dark shades.

"You sure you're up for this dude?"

Jake grinned exuberantly, no trace of the fear Dave himself harbored, only youthful giddiness and mirth. If there were any hint of fear in the boy Jake did a damn good job hiding it. He clapped a hand on the youngest Strider's shoulder, a light laugh filling the apprehensive air.

"I'm near soaring I'm so up for this, mate."

The casual, trademark double pistol and wink was most likely the only thing that could bring a smile to Dave's lips and it did just that. Looking out the window, the smile was wiped clear, that quick glance outside whilst he tried to calm himself proved to be a mistake of epic proportions and made all attempts at easy flowing fruitless; they were coming. He wasn't sure what they are, or why they've taken such an interest in attacking him and his best friend, but with lives on the line he didn't quite have much time to ponder 00:01:50

Jake followed his gaze, letting out a quiet yelp of surprise.


	4. Chapter 4

They were eerie creatures, monstrous beings, skin flaking off and glimmering in a spark of electrical flashes as the systems they were created out of recalibrated for the loss making a new batch appear where the old had occupied. From far away Jake could only make out a few details, like the way the fake skin stretched in all the wrong places, looking tight and dry, how their eyes where hollow; a deep darkness that even from such a distance sent chills down his spine. They resembled skulls and despite his love of the calcium rich hardened structures these were skulls he'd rather not tinker with. He made eye contact with one, if you can even call it eye contact considering they lacked the one variable nessicarry for such an act…eyes. To his horror he watched the creature double over, it's grayish brown skin, could he call it skin?, turned pale and in utter terror he witnessed the blond hair sprout from the tight bald head. The thing had morphed, shed its original skin and emerged a carbon copy of Dirk Strider. God did they pull at his heart. He tried to keep from looking at any others, but as they approached closer it was near impossible,each turned into recognizable face, Dave, Jade, all of those he loved and cared for, even Nana. Jake felt at the brink of insanity, dread and sorrow, every wrong he'd ever commited to each replica filled his mind.

"O-oh blimey…I'm sorry.."

His hands tore through his hair, their voices screamed in his head asking why demanding to know how he could go about his life so naïve to what he'd done. Strong hands where there when he sank to the ground, a groan escaping.

"Jake no. Don't look at them, don't listen dude, they aren't real."

Shit. He could not handle comforting Jake and trying to keep himself calm. Already he'd watched those….moldy zombie-like bastards cause all sorts of bullfucker, turning into Bro, Jake, John just everyone. They called to him, spewing such hateful words it made his heart break. The air around him filled with dread. They were the nightmares before a cold night alone after watching a shitty horror movie; the fears he held locked deep in his mind, the cold sinking feeling that made him feel sick and hot despite the clammy chill on his skin increased. They made him feel so terribly wrong, they weren't even just loved ones they were him as well. they were everything he never wanted to be; things he was afraid to become. They were him and they weren't, he wasn't sure how to describe it other than horrifying.

Jake sat in Dave's arms for a moment, the creatures drawing closer, hobbling against taught skin, normally he'd go into any battle guns hot, shooting with skilled fingers and practiced precision, but not now. A cold sweat beaded at his forehead and although he knew it was just his namesakes fuckery, he swore he could hear them; mechanic mouths tight with rotting flesh of thousand years too long, tendons creaking as the nuts and bolts worked with whatever black magic Caliborn had used to propel them forward. God he could hear it paired with a horrible thudding, so deafening he could feel his whole body react; tensing, tightening, making him ready to defend himself. Blast it, this was too much, it was getting faster they were coming for him, his friends, his best mate and there was nothing he could do there were so many. Louder, so loud, and faster and…and wait that wasn't what he thought, that was…his own heartbeat.

Soft coo's and pats brought him back, the earth wasn't shattering and those odd beings were still meters upon meters away. Jake was glad it was only Dave and himself, he'd would've been utterly flustered had anyone else seen his façade destroyed by none other than his own mind. He sniffed, eyes pricked with tears and an apologetic look plastered on his face.

"A-ah…why, yes it…appears you are correct. Heh, I must say this is quite embarrassing."

Jake looked away cheeks red, just to hear a soft chuckle, arms wrapped around him tighter and there was a weight on his head.

"You dumbass, don't be embarrassed just c'mon get up so we can win this."

With his head resting atop Jake's it was easy to lie. There was no eye contact, no looking into that face and being blinded by a hopeful grin, just easy air to space himself in. Jake nodded, shifting to hug him back and stand.

"Right then," He wiped his eyes, Dave standing as well uncaptchalogging Caldescratch, "I do think it's time for a breathtaking display of two young riotous studs such as ourselves taking control of this rather hectic situation."

Dave let a weak chuckle, nodding in reply. They were less than two hundred meters away, so close and so far. He looks at his sword, putting back in his specibus for later, you could never be too safe he may need to jump back…instead he pulled out the Scarlet Ribbitar. It looked odd, felt nice in his hand so it worked for him.

"Let's go."

With a nod they were out the door, the sunlight pouring down on them, in any other circumstances this would have been a lovely day. Jake used his powers of hope, wonderful things really, dropping pianos upon the front line of mechanical-face shifting zombie freaks. This in turn getting him a look of approval from Dave.

"Now Strider, I can only drop so many pianos…"

"Chill man, I've got this.."

Before Jake could stop him, Dave was dashing into the crowd of monsters, weaving and slicing, blipping through time to end in different positions. Sparks and flashes light up the world as he cut through the hard metallic bodies. To Jakes horror, red stained the ground, it was still an odd thought to him that striders were in fact human, and could actually be harmed.

Dave had spent so much thought choosing his own weapon now it was time for Jake to make the decision, pulling out his signature Twin M9 Barettas. His charge was more animalistic, less of a dance and more of a bloodlust driven attack, leaping into the chaos. Images of people in his present and his past, even a few of himself, flashed before him each blown away by a single accurate bullet. The ones that startled him, made him pause and think getting a few painful blows in his hesitation, were the replicas of Dave. Jake had to take a moment, get physically close and feel the hardness of metal beneath the fake skin before shooting.

The fight dragged on, skin split and poured with red, staining the ground with pieces of fake flesh and steel. The skeletons of bullet riddled, cut apart robotic corpses littered the ground, zipping and zapping as they short-circuited. Both boys were wary and tired, pulling each other out of harm's way with damp hands, shooting and darting to avoid their own attackers.

"Jake!"

Dave's voice cracked with strain as he held back a particularly difficult zombie. Zombie? Could it even be that seeing as it was never alive? Fuck it, he's calling them zombies. Dave held back this zombie, that bared a striking resemblance to his brother causing a bit of hesitation, slicing across it throat sparks flew burning his face and neck.

"Yeah mate?"

Jake took two shots, one up close directly beneath the jaw of a Dirk replica, the other about 400 meters away. He grinned, proud of his long distance shot when the explosion of metallic skull rained down. Jake was breathless, bloodied, but ready for more.

"I got an idea, get as ," He's interrupted by another zombie bastard, to which after getting a few good punches in leaving a hell of a good bruise on his shoulder, he slices its head, "…get as many to the middle of the yard as possible."

"David, I'm not John I can't just," He too is interrupted, letting loose a series of frustrated shots, "I can't just windy them over!"

"Then fucking block in as many as possible with pianos, shit man be cr-" another zombie, damn these guys didn't let up. Dave flashstepped behind it, pressing his blade through the cold metal torso and ripping upwards, "..be creative!"

Jake nodded, trying out this idea although curious as to why he did so. It took a lot of energy, an excessive amount that he really didn't have. He was tough, not willing to give up to mere fatigue and, with a few escaped monstrosities, managed to block the bulk of them inside a fort of grand pianos. He sighed, really enjoying the way each musical giant fell.

With most of the zombie fuckers in one place, working fast as they began to climb the mounds of pianos, Dave switched back to Caldescratch slicing a rip so large he could hear Jake cry out in surprise. His plan of attack was to send them all to his planet, Heat and Clockwork. So large was the rip that when it sucked in the creatures, Dave went as well being pulled away with nothing more than the raise of an eyebrow.

Everything was quiet. Jake was too exhausted to even scream as he watched Dave disappear with a multitude of monsters. The silence was broken only by the grunts and cries of a few remaining fiends which as he sank to the ground in despair he promptly shot, heads flying clean off. But no his torture would go on, not only did he have to deal with the loss of his best friend, but now the sky ripped apart revealing even more enemies. This time though, it was not a plethora of replicating monsters, but rather trolls persuaded to follow Caliborn's orders. They were that mainly of low bloods who knew no better than to trust the promise of not being harmed and high bloods who had nothing better to do than follow and promise not to harm any low bloods who swore allegiance..

With wobbly legs he stood up, blood dripping off, slow like honey, down his arms and legs staining the white of his shirt. He tried to put up a fight, guns out of ammo and his reserves completely void of any spare bullets. It took them no more than a few blows to the head, a couple of blocks at his feeble attempt to kick and punch, before Jake was limp and cuffed. He spewed his hatred, cursing and weakly thrashing as he struggled against the cuffs. Cool metal dug into his skin as the henchtrolls snapped them on far too tight, but this was all on purpose of course their main objective to make him as uncomfortable as possible.

Oh and of course as if losing him wasn't enough, Dave had to reappear, bloodied, burnt and bruised at the entirely wrong time blipping exhaustedly in front of one behemoth of a troll.

"Don't worry Jake," he paused leaning forward, eyes shut as he panted, "…They're all dead…sorry for the sca-oh…"

He looked up only to be punched square in the face, just above the bridge of his nose sending shaded glass exploding into his face. The sheer, raw pain of it all made his mind reel back, blinding him with red and black splotches as he tried to get his bearings. The world was tilted to the side and for a moment he was totally confused, how did the tree turn crooked? Wait. The tree wasn't crooked he was falling, the thud of his limp body hitting the ground was enough to reassure him of this fact.

Something cool was snapped on his wrists, tight and cutting into the pale, bruised purple flesh of his wrists. Jake yelled something, but he was too busy fighting off unconsciousness to really pay attention. He would be damned if he would pass out and give these bastards the satisfaction of not only being alone to toy with Jake but to have any sort of added victory.

"Damn dude," He spit out a good load of blood that had pooled in his mouth from the hit, "…it's a good thing those freaks came before you, or this would have been a very different fucking outcome."

He let out a defiant chuckle, wobbling as he tried to sit, glass jutting out at different angles of his cheeks while the bent frame of his glasses hung to one ear before slipping off to the ground. Jake stood mouth gaping, Dave gave him a wink to which he slowly returned with one of his own, finally getting the memo.

"Whoa nelly Strider, isn't that a sad fact. Had these blokes came first we surely would have wiped the floor with their disheveled carcasses!"

Jake too let out a, honestly fake because he was scared out of his wits, laugh. His comment earned him a good, unexpected, punch to the gut. He grunted, the wind knocked out of him, but the same shiteating grin plastered on his face.

"Oh, Jake that was a good hit," He paused feigning fear, before laughing, "… a good hit for someone half our age, maybe some tiny child, all fucking new and spongey or some shit, maybe pissed because _mommy_ wouldn't let him watch the end to his favorite movie. Yeah that's what that hit looked li-"

He got a swift kick to the side, biting his tongue until it too was bleeding to keep from yelping. The troll was furious, which only egged them on. Jake, now getting his breath back, his voice a bit ragged continued off Dave's interrupted comment.

"Cheese and fucking crackers Dave! It looks like this bonehead is really upset!" He made a mock look of surprise, earning a growl from the already pissed troll, "By golly we'd better get him that movie for fear of the tantrum that is surely brewing."

From the ground, Dave snickered, Jake too finding humor in this mutual riling up of trolls. Their malarkey only went so far until each got a shockingly hard blow to the head, one of the high-blood trolls nearby found he was unable to stand watching the obviously losing battle between the two and the discombobulated troll. The world hazed and faded to black as both boys lost consciousness.


	5. Chapter 5

** might be some mistakes .**

* * *

Upon waking Jake noticed their surroundings. From what he could see it appeared they were on a ship of some sort, chained together and totally defenseless. He was not sly enough to feign sleep, the guard sensing his alertness headed towards him in long strides. He leaned in, unbelievably close leaving only a thin sheet of stale air between them. The silence was penetrated by the rancid heavy breathing the troll blew with each huff.

"Dadblastit! Would a breath mint _kill_ you?"

Oh he was tempting fate, knowing that the repercussions for his actions would be less than favorable, but with Dave still out cold someone had to put up a fight. Jake gave him a smug grin, an air of defiance surrounded the boy only enraging the guard further. There was a slight shift beside him, a groan following soon after. Dave blinked, wincing as the glass embedded in his cheeks shifted from his facial expressions.

"About damn time Strider, my good chum! We've got one sour guard and in more ways than just attitude!"

He gave a light chuckle, Dave quickly picking up what was going on followed. They bantered back and forth, chuckling and jeering the guard until finally the cool crisp snap of a whip was heard, echoing through the grey stone room. Dave held his breath, face thick in dried blood and glass from the broken shades, he glanced to Jake who's face had gone white as well. Their eyes met for half a second before each let out a quiet, barely audible gulp. He tried his damnedest, he honestly truly did, to keep the straight unfeeling face that Striders were reputable for. Despite the calm, collected look his body was going to war for, his eyes depicted everything and Jake could see this. He tried to give a reassuring grin, tried to let him know there was nothing to fear, even though fear would be the most reasonable feeling in a situation like this.

Fuck he hated this, he loathed the sound of the whip cracking moments before skin splits and blood pours. He pickled at the thought, skin crawling as the room developed an unnerving chill that nearly suffocated him. Sure Jake was calm and to be honest he almost seemed to be enjoying this, which in thinking this could've been a ruse, but it didn't change the fact they were about to be in a world of hurt and there was nothing, absolutely nothing, Dave could do about it.

Jake felt himself be jerked up, eliciting a string of threats and curses from Dave, but he didn't yelp or quiver. No, he smirked, grinning into the face of his soon to be assailant even when he was thrusted against a wall. With tough skin, from many years of sunburns and jungle tussles, the lashings were almost bearable. He mainly focused on the way Dave's voice rose with each snap of the leather against his skin, sounding angry and scared practically heartbreaking, especially when the thought occurred that he would be next. The cold sting, the wave of heat that followed all seemed slightly reminiscent of his early years. His smirk widened, chest pounding with adrenaline as each crack made him feel more alive, years of getting used to this feeling brought a fondness unexplainable even to himself.

The guards picked up on this, already in a huff from the teasing the two boys gave them previously. They leaned away, Jake strained his ears to hear their whispers but to no avail, Dave's bickering masked anything that was even audible enough for his ears to pick up. Helplessly he watched as one, with shifting eyes and a dark ominous smile, craned his neck to reach the others ear. After a brief exchange of ideas, almost childish laughter, and a quick glance they parted; one out of the room, footsteps thundering while the other made way in the direction of his gaze.


	6. Chapter 6

Jake followed his movements, heart dipping down into the cool pit of his stomach hard like a rock when he spotted his friend in the path. He had to admit he was proud; they had done a spectacular job of jeering and keeping each other in check. Jake kept his adventurous, challenging smirk beaten and bruised, back dripping red from swollen angry red whip marks, while Dave stayed stoic, face oozing blood in slow lazy streams from the black glass, himself showing his share of cuts and bruises. Neither boy was particularly surprised in how the other acted although each could see the secret fear that hid in the other's eye. Maybe it was because they'd known one another as long as they had that they could see, despite the excited face one pulled or the stoic expression the other had, there was worry lingering.

Jake's chest squeezed when he witnessed the all too noticeable flinch, the rattle of chains filling the room only accentuating this. The guard, a rather stocky fellow with hair trimmed in just the right way as to assist in proving the squareness of his jaw and a rather prominent forehead, leaned down to Dave. He shook the chains that held Dave's hands above his head, jerking the already beaten up and sore boy around, a disgusting grin of pleasure as the metal clinked and clanged violently. He hissed at the pain, but this only lasts no longer than Jake presumes a nanosecond, before going back to his trademark stoic face, unfathomably calm and collected as though he was casually sitting at home rather than being bound and assaulted.

The guard sneers, leaning to Dave's ear, much like the previous leaned into Jake's,

cracked dry lips moved, brushing against the pale ear as wet breath fanned out with unintelligible words. He watches as Dave keeps his composer waiting for the troll to finish what he had to say before politely nodding to show he understood. When the guard leaned back only a bit, to look Dave in the eye and reveal in his presumed dominance Dave reeled his head back and spit directly between the guard's eyes. Jake honestly can't believe it, stuck somewhere between a gasp and insane laughter, staring in awe and shock at the outlandish act, an overly wide grin plastered on his face.

"Bring it."

Jake's eyes widened at not only Dave's words, but his aggression behind them. Never had he seen Dave so violently determined, so preserved in his will to not break, never had Jake seen him so utterly dynamic with emotion.

"I've waited sweeps to beat the will out of a smug little bastard as yourself; I intend to make you _beg_ for death."

Those words, whispered in his ear so calm and dangerous, chilled his body. The heated putrid stench of the room seemed overwhelming and never before had he wanted to leave a place so badly. Dave could tell his reply hit a nerve by the force of the slap he was given as reply; which in turn shoved glass deeper into his cheeks and soft surrounding skin of his eyes. It rocked his senses, brightly s\colored specks flashed in his eyes he struggled to regain himself. Dave's cheek had, in no time, developed an angry, and puffed up red hand print. After a few moments of collecting himself, face throbbing and muscles aching, he looked up a coy smile on his face.

"You going to beat me or slap like a bitch?"

Oh this was too much; bellowing laughter came from Jake's side of the cell, chains rattling in mocking jovial delight as he watched the trolls back go ridged in shock. Slowly he stood straight turning to Jake. With a cold stare emblazoned in the indigo eyes that seemed to dance between Jake, Dave, and the current pair of spare guards; placed there in case of emergency should the boys manage to break free. The troll sauntered over; he took his time, enjoying the way each cool slap of his shoe hitting the hard surface of the floor made each boy flinch. The musky smell of sea and sweat filled the already mold dank room with a peculiar smell; aggressive to the nose and wracking to the nerves only heightening the already to high tension.

Thick clawed fingers ran through Jake's hair, nicking his scalp, before gripping it so ungodly tight it felt like ice water was trickling down his skull in agonizing streams. The sting that scattered across his head made him almost plead to be released, fighting his body's heat to move and squirm instead remaining still; face contorting in a look of only minor discomfort despite the hellfire he was going through. The troll seethed in his ear, the lack of personal space was beginning to irk him, he jerked against the hand, wincing heavily as the tugged to smack heads with the hulking brute of troll. Jake took an enormous amount of pleasure in the dull thunk that resulted from the blow, followed by a gruff yelp.

"You onry shit!"

The guard reeled back holding his sore temple, a growl emitting between tightest jaws.


	7. Chapter 7

Jake chuckled at the sound, raising an eyebrow in almost mock concern. He could tell the troll was becoming fed up with their shenanigans; the swollen clawed fingers, tainted red with splotches of blood remnant from the scratching of Jake's head. This was fun, truly it was, but he knew something was going to happen, he could sense it in the air and with one look across the cell to Dave he knew the blond could as well. They were no doubt anxious, the grey walls only reminding them that their equally grey captors would be tough as stone against them for their behavior. In a way that was alright, if you're going to go down go with a fight right? Put on a show to be remembered by.

"Since you find it so _fun_ to watch, you'll get to be the _first_ to witness the show you little bug eyed piss for brains."

This sparked the animalistic instinct years of living alone in a jungle had engraved into him, lurching forward with what little strength he had left in hopes of somehow maiming or injuring the smug guard in some significant way. Questions rolled through his mind, wishing only to pour out of his mouth in an endless procession, but with forced will he stayed silent; only permitting a quiet sound, almost resembling a growl. The opposite guard, the one that had earlier stepped out after discussing something Jake only presumed was about the two boys, returned in his hand something that made even this rugged adventurer cower silently.

A long coiled whip sat snuggly in his thin hands, this troll was lankier riddled with the dips and curves of muscle stretched over his long limbs, it didn't surprise either boy to see the difference in stature between the trolls. The meatier of the two was an indigo blood, presumably higher on the spectrum, while the thinner was of yellow blooded decent. He uncoiled the whip and instead of the sound of leathery material hitting the ground, there was instead something resembling clinking metal. That got both teenager's attentions, eyes darting to see what in fact the source was. Jake groaned and Dave's face noticeably drooped for on the end were not only at least two inch spikes, protruding out at awkward angles promising pain and large scarring gashes, but a metal coated tip. They did not even have the comfort of receiving the lashings from the thinner troll; he handed over the whip to none other than the hulking angry grey man, ready to exact his revenge for getting such poor amounts of respect.

Dave looked up, seconds later, his body was being pressed against a wall forced to watch as Jake was moved in his line of sight. Each teen made to look at the other, chains moved and rolled to keep them in place, both noticing the other shaking. Crunching footsteps filled the silence as the indigo blood stepped back, lifting his arm up the whip scratching the ground, causing Dave to flinch heavily. Jake watched in horror, a loud bark of a yell escaping him, as the same large, pure muscle arm swung with a practiced aim and cracked the whip into Dave's skin. The boy's back arched, eyes slamming open as his mouth hung in silent shock at just how unimaginable the pain was as it wrecked havoc on his body; a strangled sort of sound, cutting out like glass, ripping through his throat.

Dave felt his face grow hot while his stomach churned in an icy knot, pain riddling his body creating a contradictory wave of goosebumps flushing his skin. He loathes the feeling wanting nothing more for it to just stop, stop _please, _he wants to cry out and thrash around to work his limbs free of this disgusting feeling, but he doesn't. He clamps his teeth on his bottom lip, a mumble of pain pushing the seal of lip and tooth threatening to spill, yet he stays strong and hold his dignity. Blood pools as yet another lash is given, from his back and lip as his body jerks forward away out of instinct to get away from this unsurpassable torture. Metallic, thick blood fills his mouth, coating his tongue and making the ill feeling worse as he holds back the screams he so desperately wants to release. Nothing more than a gruff, trembling grunt, so filled with pain and defiance it would almost seem smug had it not been for the look of pure horror plastered on his face.

Jake's screaming had faded to simple background noise in his ears, desperate pleads for them to stop. He's bleeding too much, Jake says, he isn't used to this, he cries; It takes Dave a second to remember Jake isn't talking about himself. The young Strider's mouth watered, slicking up the way for the sickness that would come; the only reason he was not granted the pleasure of hurling his insides all over this pigsty is the little fact they hadn't eaten in who knows how long.

There was a pause, a drawback of an arm only lasting long enough for Dave to blink the world back into focus, pulling his vision back as the corners started to turn dark, before the crisp crack signals his body to arch once more, pain so immense his mind nearly explodes. The sheer blow from the lash is enough to split the sin on every inch it hits, leaving an angry, oozing runway of crimson to lead each of the two-inch spikes into the already too tender wound.

"MMPH!"

It was the only thing he'd allow to slip, even as tears, blood, and sweat mingled down his body making him want to scream till his voice quit as they dribbled into the gaping slashes. He couldn't help the heaving sobs looking to Jake with eyes that, although knowing there was nothing the raven haired boy could do, pleaded for a way to end the torture


End file.
